CONTENTS. England win in Cardiff! Home Nations. Fencing in France Competition results

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England Veterans Association AGM Pages 8-9 Jonathan Stanbury goes to France Page 9 BVF Calendar Page 10 Competition results Home Nations

1 CONTENTS England win in Cardiff! Front Page England win the Justin Smith Trophy Pages 2 Chairman s letter Page 3 Europeans Pages 4-5 Home Nations - Cardiff Page 6-7 Minutes of England Veterans Association AGM Pages 8-9 Jonathan Stanbury goes to France Page 9 BVF Calendar Page 10 Competition results Home Nations England Team Manager John Crouch with the Justin Smith Trophy (Home Nations) Fencing in France Competition results Photo by Editor Page 11 WMO results BVF 100 Club Page 12 An invitation to Guernsey Page 13 Caption competition Page 14 BVF contacts APRIL

2 Chairman s letter Dear Members, April has been a busy month with two Veterans Competitions. The first was the West Midlands Open (WMO) at Dudley. Thanks to Peter Baron for organising a smooth running event, which from reading the Facebook group comments, was enjoyed by those who took part. Thanks also to Janet Baron for her help. Full results can be found on the website: The Home Nations competition was hosted by Wales in Cardiff in mid-april and thanks are due to WVFA Chairman Lyn Robinson and her team of volunteers for organising what was a very enjoyable and well run event. There was some very competitive fencing, great support and much fun - all the elements of what makes team Veterans fencing events special. And, of course, a dinner, with a raffle raising 800 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Da iawn a diolch i bawb a oedd yno! Congratulations to England on retaining the Justin Smith Trophy. The European Veterans Individual Championships take place in Porec, Croatia, from May and GBR has 36 men and 30 women taking part, with 86 weapon entries. Good luck to all, especially to those of you for whom this is your first Veterans competition and/or first International competition. I will be with the squad as team manager and am looking forward to meeting some new members and to a great event. The event website is Results should be posted. I am sure that there will be lots of comments and photos posted on our Facebook group page as things happen, so if you are a Facebook user and are not a member of the group, request to join. Plans for next year s European Team Championships are forging ahead. We are launching a third and final BVF 100 Club to raise funds for this event but this time there will be 10 prizes of 100. Details can be found on page 9 of this newsletter. The Age Groups will be held in June at Bletchley. Online entry and full details are on the website: Category 1 competitions are no longer unisex. This will hopefully encourage more entries from this age group. The committee is sorry that the planned match against USA has had to be postponed because of logistical problems. It is hope that it can be arranged to take place next year. Sincerely, Gillian Aghajan Chairman APRIL

ET16 - an explanation The first European Veteran Fencing Championships were organised by Henry de Silva, now BVF Life President, and held in the UK in August 1991 at Loughborough.

The Championships alternate between Individuals in odd years and Teams in even years.

The BVF committee had decided over two years ago that this would be viable and after investigating suitable venues and costs a successful bid to host the 2016 Team Championships at Medway Park in

3 ET16 - an explanation The first European Veteran Fencing Championships were organised by Henry de Silva, now BVF Life President, and held in the UK in August 1991 at Loughborough. At this event there were 85 entries. The weapon entry for the 2015 Championships which are being held in Porec, Croatia is 1,186 with 30 countries being represented. The Championships alternate between Individuals in odd years and Teams in even years will be the 25th anniversary of the Championships and it is very fitting that these Team Championships will be held in the UK, where it all began. The BVF committee had decided over two years ago that this would be viable and after investigating suitable venues and costs a successful bid to host the 2016 Team Championships at Medway Park in Medway, Kent was made at the EVF Congress meeting in Terni in The committee refers to the Championships as ET16 which is our abbreviation for the European Team Championships A sub-committee was appointed; David Sweeney, John Mason and myself and plans have been ongoing since. Job descriptions for volunteers have been written. Some roles have been allocated. The logo, medal design and other artwork have been designed by Anne Mills. The floor plan has been drawn up. The official hotel has been booked and we are approaching other hotels in the area and making plans for transport to and from the venue. There is a lot of work to do to ensure that this will be a well run, enjoyable and successful event which we hope will set a bench mark. We do need your continued support; for both volunteer roles and fundraising. Details of the new 100 Club are on page 9. Please look out for further news and information. Gillian Aghajan APRIL

Veterans Home International 2015 The Justin Smith Trophy This was the 9 th time the event had been held and we were back in Wales where it first started.

Many of the matches were close and the competition fierce, however, there is always a great atmosphere with much vocal support.

4 Veterans Home International 2015 The Justin Smith Trophy This was the 9 th time the event had been held and we were back in Wales where it first started. The venue was Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff over the weekend 18 th /19 th April. Again England dominated the event winning all weapons but women s foil where Scotland took the honours. Many of the matches were close and the competition fierce, however, there is always a great atmosphere with much vocal support. On Saturday night there was a dinner with a raffle which raised 800 for Macmillan Cancer Support It was good to see Adrian Griffin and Nigel Fancourt completing their collection of representative honours having fenced earlier in their careers for England at School and Senior level. Many thanks to Wales for organising the event and we look forward to hosting next year in Newcastle. John Crouch England Team Manager Nigel Fancourt and Adrian Griffin Have you fenced at Cadet/Junior, Senior and Veteran levels for your home country? me if you would like your achievement noted in the newsletter. Editor Photo by Editor Final results APRIL

5 Home Nations - Cardiff APRIL

6 Annual General Meeting of the England Veterans Fencing Association held on Friday 6th March 2015, 21:15 hours at the Holiday Inn, Gloucester Present: John Crouch - Chairman Janet Baron Bob Perry Moya McNamara - Secretary Simon Armour Sue Church Diane Austen - Treasurer Andrew Brown Marc Dalby Jane Hutchison Marcia Stretch Michael Compton Peter Baron Joanthan Stanbury David Sweeney Dennis Ward Jane Clayton Peter Howes Lawrence Burr Dean Menegas Tony Bardell Dave Bridges Tracy Russen Duncan Rowlands Alan Ault Evert van Gemeren Silvia Earl Paul Harden 1) Apologies for absence Apologies for absence were received from Sue Brooks and Rosemarie Perry. 2) Minutes of the AGM held on 28th February 2014 The minutes were accepted as a true record. Proposed by Silvia Earl and seconded by Jonathan Stanbury. 3) Matters Arising None. Paul Baillache 4) Report of Officers a) Chairman s Report A copy of the report had previously been circulated in the British Veterans Fencing (BVF) newsletter. He was sorry to report that all 3 senior fencers who died this year, Frank Mills, Fred Sheppard and Richard Bonehill were England fencers. We will miss them all - they are a sad loss to British and England Veterans Fencing (EVF). b) Secretary s Report The committee had met once during the year and communicated by and telephone throughout the year. This year it was encouraging to see that the number of members has increased and as of 31st December 2014 stood at 490 (442 in 2013). At that date there were 130 (124) women and 390 (318) men. The age distribution as of 31 st December 2014 was: Women: Category 1 = 40 Category 2 = 48 Category 3 = 28, Category 4 = 14 Men: Category 1 = 98 Category 2 = 137 Category 3 = 83 Category 4 = 42 Thanks go to John Mason for providing the information to help the compilation of this report and to Gillian Aghajan for ensuring England items appear in the BVF newsletter. APRIL

7 c) Treasurer s Report The treasurer's report had been published in the newsletter. Last year there had been two major events these being the Home International in Edinburgh and the Commonwealths in Largs. Both events were funded by England Fencing (EF) but EVF had made a small profit on the sale of polo shirts. The final balance of funds was As members were aware BVF donate 1 per member to EVF. John Crouch proposed that this year EVF refund 419 towards the ET16 fund. This was seconded by David Sweeney and accepted by the meeting. In 2016 England would be hosting the Home International and it is hoped that the Commonwealths will be in New Zealand. It is anticipated that EF will pay team entry fees and fund the team manager. The Treasurer s report was accepted. Proposed by Peter Howes and seconded by Paul Baillache. 5) Election of Officers and Committee members The Chairman reported that all current committee members were willing to stand for re-election. These were John Crouch (Chairman), Moya McNamara (Secretary), Diane Austin (Treasurer) and Peter Baron (Committee member). With the resignation of David Sweeney last year and the death of Frank Mills there are now 2 vacancies on the committee. Moya proposed Evert Van Gemeren. Peter seconded this nomination. It was proposed by Jonathan Stanbury and seconded by Marcia Stretch that they be elected en bloc. This was carried nem. con. 7) Any Other Business a) The Chairman raised the issue of the selection process for the Commonwealth team. At present the team is selected from results at individual events at the Commonwealths. He wondered if this should be changed to pre select the team, particularly in view of the next event which it was anticipated would take place in New Zealand. Various views were expressed from the floor both in favour of change and against it. It was also suggested that a combination of the two methods could be used e.g. 2 or 3 pre selected and the remaining 2/1 selected on the day. John said he was grateful for the feedback which would be considered by the new committee. The meeting closed at hours Trek in the Himalayas 5 day trek in the Annapurna region plus 5 days in Kathmandu - just 695 APRIL For info click on

Men s Veterans Epée competition at Saint-Maur, France - Team and Individual I decided that I would attend this competition for myself but at the same time as a pathfinder for the future as there is

8 Men s Veterans Epée competition at Saint-Maur, France - Team and Individual I decided that I would attend this competition for myself but at the same time as a pathfinder for the future as there is quite a lot of thought around that competing abroad would improve the standard of the British Veterans. The Men s Individual competition was on Saturday followed by Men s Team and Women s Individual competitions on Sunday. All the fights over the weekend are started with an interesting idea; for each difference in category between fencers there is a negative start score. For example a V1 against V2 starts at minus 1, a V1 against V3 starts at minus 2 etc. In the pools this is very helpful to us oldies. In the team matches, if, in the second fight the fencers are of different categories the scores are adjusted accordingly. Stepping on the piste with score say and V1 against V3 the score becomes at start of fight, which makes the matches quite exciting and very difficult to decide optimal order of fencers in the match. The Men's Individual competition started just after midday on Saturday with nearly 300 entries from 40 to over 70 years of age. The initial round was a pool of 8, drawn out but at least 7 fights. This was then followed by the categories being separated for the Tableaux. Cat 1 was an incomplete 128 (105 fencers), Cat 2 was an incomplete 128 (102 fencers), Cat 3 was an incomplete 64 (60 fencers) with the seedings taken from the results in the pools. The competition was reasonably well run but didn t actually finish until 20:30. The Men's Team competition had a scratch time of 08:30 on Sunday. There are A club teams and B zonal [make up] teams. All the teams compete in the initial round of pools and then A and B teams are separated. I would highly recommend for that, for the most fencing, one is part of a club team. The competition did rather drag on especially for the zonal teams again not finishing until The team competition is a type of relay; in the pools you decide your order of 3 fencers and fence your opponent up to 5 hits or 3 minutes so there are 3 fights in the match to a maximum total of 15 hits or 9 minutes; seedings for the tableaux are decided by the results. In the Tableau matches there are a possible 3 matches against each opponent with the winner being the first to win two matches, however to make it more interesting the fencers are rotated in their order so if all 3 matches are required for a result you get to fence each of your opponents. Going out I travelled by train to London from Taunton, Eurostar to Paris from London and then Metro from Gare de Nord with loads and loads of stairs at Gare de Lyon and then taxi to Saint-Maur, not knowing where I was going apart from address of the Hotel. The Hotel I was in is a 5 minute taxi ride from the venue, the hotel staff spoke English and were very helpful as was everybody over the weekend. APRIL

9 The return trip was an awful lot easier as there is a bus from just outside the Hotel with one stop to the RER with ESCALATORS (THANK GOODNESS!!) and then one change onto the Metro (again escalators!!!) to Gare de Nord (about 50 minutes), again escalators but the big downer is the very very long walk to check your fencing bag into the Despatch office. On reflection, would I go again? Yes but be part of a club team for the Sunday and to get there from the South West I would fly to Paris; a lot less hassle especially fencing bags and Eurostar despatch offices (very helpful people, but check in bags at least 1 hour before departure time). Fencing was very enjoyable and all were very friendly and welcoming. Jonathan Stanbury My results - Individual 5 th V3 Team [me plus two Russians] 3 rd Zonal BVF Calendar 2015 BVF CALENDAR 2015 May European Individual Championships, Porec, Croatia Event Manager - Gillian Aghajan June 6-7 Age Groups 2015, Bletchley Event Manager - Marcia Stretch June Sep 5-6 Oct Nov 29 GBR v GER, Darmstadt Event Manager: David Sweeney Veterans Winton Cup 2015, Lilleshall Event Manager - Marcia Stretch World Championships, Limoges, France Event Manager - Gillian Aghajan BVF v Royal Navy, HMS President 72 St Katharine's Way, London. E1W 1UQ Event Manager: Pete Baron See BVF website home page for European competitions and events - APRIL

10 Competition results (top half) Scottish Open - 24/01/2015 (correction) Aberdeen Open - 25/03/2015 ME (44) 5 Hugh Kernohan 13 James Rhodes 14 Anton Pollard MS (27) 2 Stewart Watson 12 Duncan Rowlands WE (23) 6 Karen Grant Edinburgh International - 14/03/2015 WE (15) 5 Maggie Tait MF (26) 8 Tim Wynn ME (22) 8 Tim Wynn ME (16) 7 Keith Davidson Belfast Open 28/03/2015 ME (20) 7 Duncan Salter WE (12) 1 Fiona Haldane Liverpool Open - 21/03/2015 MF (30) 15 Jeffrey Kiy ME (41) 5 Chris Heaps 6 Anton Pollard 12 Daniel Alexander 16 Kevan Riley WF (7) 3 Kate Harris Uhlmann Trophy - 25/04/2015 MF (35) 9 Mike McKay ME (36) 5 Chris Heaps 7 Anton Pollard 12 Michael Ramsden 16 Tom Chrisp 17 Tristan Spicer MS (26) 8 Michael Swiffin 11 Andrew Thornley 2 nd British Sabre Open - 28/03/2015 WS (26) 3 Hilary Lewis 6 Karen Garvie WS (24) 7 Jane Hutchison Elite Men s Spring Open Epée - 29/03/2015 Congratulations to Fiona Haldane- 1 st WE - Belfast Open! ME (91) 24 Neal Mallett 31 Adam Steiner 32 Howard West 43 Stephan Munn Competition results compiled using Trawler software John Mason -Eureka Data APRIL

West Midlands Open results (top half)- 12/04/2015 MF (9) 1 Gerry Gajadharsingh 2 Tony William 3T Ira de N Yeurt 3T Robert Pritchard 5 Jonathan Stanbury WF (10) 1 Caron Hale 2 Kati Archer 3T Jane

11 West Midlands Open results (top half)- 12/04/2015 MF (9) 1 Gerry Gajadharsingh 2 Tony William 3T Ira de N Yeurt 3T Robert Pritchard 5 Jonathan Stanbury WF (10) 1 Caron Hale 2 Kati Archer 3T Jane Clayton 3T Hilary Lewis 5 Kim De Large ME (12) 1 John Leahey 2 Malcolm Allton 3T Mike Bradbury 3T Rob Phelps 5 Jonathan Stanbury 6 Andrew Brown WE (10) 1 Jane Clayton 2 Silvia Earl 3T Sally Barker 3T Sylvia Brown 5 Valerie Young MS (16) 1 Michael Swiffin 2 Andrew Thornley 3T Michael Compton 3T Carl Moffat 5 Simon White 6 Malcolm Cawton 7 Steve Potter 8 Mark Guyatt Men s Foil Medallists - Ira, Gerry, Tony and Robert Photo courtesy of Gerry Gajadharsingh Full results can be found on the BVF website: BVF 100 Club MANY THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE BVF 100 CLUB We have already raised 2,000 for ET16 It has been decided to launch one more, and definitely the last, 100 Club. This time there will be 10 prizes of 100 each Numbers will cost 20 as before Choose your lucky number and contact Sue Church sue.trysport@tiscali.co.uk APRIL

The Guernsey Fencing Club are hosting an International Handicap Competition on Sunday 26th July for epee and foil fencers. Only one weapon can be fenced and entry is 10.

12 The Guernsey Fencing Club are hosting an International Handicap Competition on Sunday 26th July for epee and foil fencers. Only one weapon can be fenced and entry is 10. Entries expected from the UK, France and Jersey. This is a fencing for pleasure event. The handicap system ensures that all have an equal chance to win. Last year a junior fencer won against a senior Commonwealth fencer. We also have the pleasure of Peter & Janet Huggins of the BF & FIE running a British Fencing Level 1 & 2 Refereeing and Armoury Courses. The courses will take place on the Saturday 25 th July with the final refereeing assessment taking place during the Sunday competition. Places are limited and will be filled on a first come basis for a fee of We want you to maximise your enjoyment on our Island and encourage you to stay the weekend at Les Cotils which set in twelve acres offers some of the best views of the neighbouring Islands. Mention that you are fencing when booking and you will receive a 10% discount. This is high tourist season so we would encourage you to book hotel & travel asap. We are hosting the competition meal at Les Cotils on the Saturday evening,this will follow on from a walking tour of the town, led by gold accredited guide Annette Henry. The tour and meal fee is With castles older than the Tower of London and ancient burial sites and ruins dating back to the Neolithic period, maritime and privateering, the German occupation and folklore,guernsey has a wealth of history waiting to be discovered. Come for the fencing, the VAT Free shopping, fresh air, fine cuisine, history and leave with an intention to return. For further information, competition entry, courses, please contact, guernseyfencingclub@hotmail.co.uk Tourist Information. Sole ferry company. Airline. Airline. Airline. Car hire. Free A to B upgrade if you mention competition when booking by phone APRIL

Caption Competition April send your entry to Editor g.aghajan@virgin.

your views, send reports, letters, photos or articles. Please speak up! Send to me: g.

13 Caption Competition April send your entry to Editor Editor s Note: The BVF newsletter is your voice: a chance for you to put forward your views, send reports, letters, photos or articles. Please speak up! Send to me: g.aghajan@virgin.net Photos by Editor Caption Competition February/March Editor s choice - Paul Brenda APRIL

com Elected Members International Fencing Officer Domestic Fencing Officer David Sweeney Tel: 01453 758372 mrdsweeney@hotmail.com Peter Baron Tel: 01384 400242 bvf@baronfencing.plus.

14 BVF contacts Life President Henry de Silva 6 Little Meadow Andreas Isle Of Man IM7 4HY Tel: Officers Chairman Newsletter Editor Gillian Aghajan Tel: g.aghajan@virgin.net Treasurer Membership Secretary Webmaster John Mason Tel: BVF@jrmason.demon.co.uk Secretary Marcia Stretch Tel: marcia_stretch@hotmail.com Elected Members International Fencing Officer Domestic Fencing Officer David Sweeney Tel: mrdsweeney@hotmail.com Peter Baron Tel: bvf@baronfencing.plus.com PLEASE NOTE Any articles or letters for the May BVF Newsletter should be sent to:- Gillian Aghajan by 20th May 2015 Tel: g.aghajan@virgin.net Development Officer Peter Howes Tel: peter_howes_bvf@outlook.com Jonathan Stanbury Tel: alfg8@aol.com Lawrence Burr Tel: lsburr@btopenworld.com Co-opted Member Publicity Officer Malcolm Fare malcolm.fare@ crossword.demon.co.uk APRIL

CONTENTS. Who will win?! SeniorPlus. ET16 badges. Competition results. Fencers at the 2014 Winton Cup. The Frank Mills Trophy JULY/AUGUST

CONTENTS. Who will win?! SeniorPlus. ET16 badges. Competition results. Fencers at the 2014 Winton Cup. The Frank Mills Trophy JULY/AUGUST CONTENTS Who will win?! Front Page Frank Mills Trophy Pages 2-3 Chairman s letter Page 3 ITV on the lookout Page 4 Henry remembers Pages 5 ET16 badges 100 Club BVF Calendar Page 6 Competition results The